St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 1 Week 2

Acknowledgement of Country

St Mary’s Primary School respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the
Wimmera Mallee area, the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk
peoples, and pays respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples.

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all.  St Mary's Catholic Primary School  is committed to the safety and well-being of all students.

Key Dates

Principal's Report

Welcome to Term 1 Week 2     (please note Week 1 was officially last week when staff returned)

Hello and welcome to all our families for 2023!  It is an exciting time for us to be able to embrace our new students and families and have all on site to begin the new school year. 

A very big welcome to our new Foundation students - Ollie, Rocco, Arlie, Emerson, Addison, Frankie,  Remy, Isla, Ollie,  Ollie and Parker. We are very privledged to have you join us here at St Mary's.  A very big welcome to our new families, thank you for choosing St Mary's as your choice of education for your child. We look forward to having you as members of our St Mary's family through your child's primary school years. 

There was a lovely energy present last Monday morning with many families having a chat and a welcome cuppa.  Thank you to Jess Boyd and Sam Schulz from Parent Club for organising the morning tea for families. 

So again, to everyone, welcome back to the new school year. I hope this year will be a calmer and more settled year for us all.  May this prayer below give us guidance for the year ahead.

Let us pray

Entering the New Year
God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact and our words carry power.

May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.

Creator of all life, help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed, every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.

May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honour rather than destroy.

Lover of all souls, help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to hope laugh dance and dream,

Remembering our many gifts with thanks and looking forward to blessings yet to come.

May we welcome your lavish love.
May we cast off the small, vindictive voice our fears make.

May the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.

Amen.        (Vinita Hampton Wright)

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

Newsletter dates

This term the newsletter is trialling moving to fortnightly release. Parents will be notified by email, PAM and the Facebook page for additional reminders and updates.  Please familairise with the information in the newsletter and keep referring to it through each fortnight. 

Welcome to our new students and families!

It is always incredibly exciting at the beginning of each year with new Foundation students and families joining the school. There was a buzz of energy at the front of St Mary's Catholic Primary school on Monday morning this week as students returned for the 2023 school year.  For the 11 new Foundation students, there were many photos to remember the milestone moment and hugs and well-wishes for their first day as the new students began their school journey for the next 13 years. Older brothers and sisters, and their cousins were thrilled to finally have their siblings join them and all be together. The Grade 6 students met with their Foundation buddies to welcome them to school, before all the school lined up to then enter for another year of fun and learning.  Also starting on Monday were new staff Andy Malcolm and Marg Clancey with Learning Support Officer Alyssa Muller. Meg Werner is also returning to St Mary's part-time this year.  They were looking forward to their new first day as the students were having theirs. All the students had a terrific day, settling back into school, happy to be with their friends, learning new routines and excited just to be together again.

Family Photos!

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PAM /SIMON - MEDICAL and PERMISSION FORMS

Thank you to the many families who have already updated their log in details for PAM. Many have already made bookings for the Getting to Know You Afternoons for next week as well. In updating your log in details for PAM, you will also be asked to update your child's medical information. Regardless of what program is used, this needs to be done annually each year.  Over the past few years we have been using Operoo as the platform to manage medical information and permission forms.  This is now being phased out, and all communication to families will move to PAM as the one platform for you to access and manage.

Would you please check your child's medical information is now updated to PAM.  This includes Asthma management plans and other medical information needed to support your child. 

Next week (Week 3) permission forms will be sent through PAM for your child to attend the Water Familiarisation Program during each afternoon in Week 4 (Feb 13-17). It is very important that your child's medical details and swimming ability is updated to PAM as soon as possible. 

Thank you parents for attending to this promptly.

Term 1 School Swimming Activities- volunteers required.

In Week 4, from 13th-17th February we will be running our Water familiarisation program each afternoon after lunch. Students will travel by bus to and from the school. Please also check your child's diaires for further information and complete the permission and medical forms on PAM.  We would be very grateful for volunteers to assist with the program during this week, especially Thursday 16th and Friday 17th whith known staff absences.  We are also seeking volunteers to assist with the swimming sports on February 24^th.  Please email Nerrida or Jess Boyd if you can assist.

Please note -

• Whilst we encourage all parents to assist, we are unable to have parents/caregivers who will have younger children with them at the pool. This is for the safety of the group you are teaching/supervising as well as your toddlers.
• All volunteers must have WWCC 
• All volunteers must have signed our Code of Conduct (available from the school Office).

The purpose of the swimming sessions is for Water Safety and Water Familiarisation. During each session the students will participate in activities based around Water Safety & Confidence, Endurance and Stroke.  Please remember that we do not specifically teach the students to swim. We aim to give the children skills and knowledge as to how to keep themselves safe in and around water.

Please be aware that if your child does not follow the instructions of the adult leaders of the group they will be sat out of the pool for their safety and the safety of the rest of the group.

Students are to come to school in uniform and will change into their bathers before going to the pool. Students can wear their sports uniform to school on swimming days. Please send your child’s swimming gear in a named separate bag. All clothing must be named.            

All students need to wear a rash vest for this program. 

As a reminder, Foundation students do not attend the swimming program on Wednesday 15th February as that is their rest day.

Please note if your family does not have a pool membership the fee is $2 per session - please bring money to the office. 

Student Absence from School - Every Day Counts

It is a legal requirement for parents to explain absences from school. Please remember to log on to PAM and state if the absence is due to sickness, doctor’s appointment or family reasons. Alternatively you can email or phone the school prior to 9:30 am on the day of absence, otherwise an absence SMS will be generated. If there is a scheduled absence please advise us in advance. 

Every Day Counts

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education.
Students learn new things at school every day– missing school puts them behind. Of course we do not want children to come to school if they are ill, and their health is priority. But please consider if the reason for your child to miss a day of learning is important. If your child's school report shows less than 90% attendance for the semester, that represents at least 1 week absent a term or two weeks absence over a semester  -  at least 10% of learning opportunities missed. 

Family holidays - if there are planned holidays during school term time, parents are to notify Nerrida at principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au.  For known absences of 3 days or more, parents are to contact with the Principal, and complete an Extended Absence Family Leave form for the period of absence.  These forms are to be obtained from the Principal.

Safer Internet Day

Every year the E-safety commissioner promotes Safer Internet Day. This year it will be Tuesday 7 February.  At St Mary's, safe internet use is promoted continuosly throughout the year within our curriculum. In Technology this term, the focus is primarily on Safe Internet Usage with the following themes: 

• Balance and Wellbeing

• Privacy and Security

• Relationships and Communication

• Cyberbullying

• News and Media Literacy

This year, the Commissioner is calling all Australians to Connect. Reflect. Protect. Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.  Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others. Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.  
 
By doing these simple things, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day.

Parent tips are attached.   (Fiona Holland)

School TV - School Transitions

Whether it is starting school for the first time, moving up to a higher grade or embarking on a journey through secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for children and parents. It means your children are growing up!

However, transitioning is an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and may encounter difficulties at a number of different stages. These stressors may appear as anxiety and frustration and result in negative or disruptive behaviours. Such behaviours can become problematic making the transitioning process even more difficult for children and parents.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn practical strategies to assist your child during the transition process and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the School Transitions edition of SchoolTV
https://smwarracknabeal.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/school-transitions

School Sport 2023

Children across age groups in Years 3-6 will have many opportunities to enage in sporting activities and if successful, may represent St Mary's across a variety of interschool, regional and perhaps even state events.  This term will be our Swimming carnival on Feb 24th and those students who qualify may represent St Mary's at the regional level in Horsham on Tuesday 14th March (which is our school closure day). The other regional event students may qualify for this term is Tennis - more details will be sent soon. 

The school sport Victoria web site is a very good resource to familiarise yourself with. It has division, region and state dates for all sports as well as rules and regulations. 

Victorian State Teams

Nominations for Vic state teams close the end of February. If you have a talented child in AFL, cricket, netball, basketball or soccer wishing to trial for one or more of these sports, please go to the school sport Victoria website for more information and online entry.  It is up to parents to complete these forms and bring in to school for students to trial for state teams.

https://ssv-cms.eduweb.vic.gov.au/Pages/SSV-Home.aspx

Upcoming events

Our Getting to Know You afternoons  : These will be held next Tuesday 7th February and Thursday 9th February from 3:30pm to 5:30 pm.  Bookings are now able to be made for a 10 minute time slot with your child's teacher and specialist teacher through PAM.  Please ensure you have updated you PAM login in details so you can make these bookings. 

Before meeting with your child's teacher, please make sure you have read your child's Semester 2 report from 2022, available through PAM. This will be helpful for you to engage in discussion with your child's teacher about their learning goals for the year.

Foundation Numeracy Interviews : These will be held on Wed 15th and Wed 22nd Feb. Bookings for these 30 mins sesssions for the Foundation students are now available through PAM.

Beginning of Year Liturgy/ School Leader Induction : Friday 10th February, 9:00am at which we will celebrate the beginning of the new year and induct and present badges to our 2023 school captains - Mia, Evan, Bianca and Blake, and all Grade 6 students as House Leaders.  To be held at the outside stage area. 

For other dates in the term, please see the key dates at the beginning of the newsletter

School Closure Days 2023

For your planning purposes, please note the following days have been designated as school closure days for 2023.  These student free days are important for staff to undergo professional development and complete necessary requirements for compliance. We are all on-going learners! 
Parents, please note that during the year, there may be interruptions, presenter unavailability or other valid reasons as to why these dates may change. If so, staff and families will be given as much notice as possible if these dates are to change. 

The theme for each closure day aligns with the development of the 2023 School Improvement Plan.

The closure dates for 2023 planned for are:
Tuesday March 14 (Note: day after Labour Day holiday long weekend)                                                             RE - Enhancing Catholic School Identity and Fullness of Life Curriculum

Thursday June 1    Student and Staff Well Being

Monday July 10     ( Note: First day of Term 3)  Learner Agency

Wednesday August 30  Parental engagement through curriculum

Thank you families, for your anticipated support of staff for these days. 

Lunch orders are available next week

Lunch can be ordered each Tuesday as of February 9th.  The price list is attached, has been emailed home and is on the school website. Please ensure the correct money is included in the order as change is not provided.

Uniform reminders

The Parent Handbook was emailed to all families last week and is available on the school website under Our School- Parent Portal.  A reminder that hair ties/ scrunchies/bands must be navy blue or made from school uniform material, blue socks to be worn with school dresses and shorts, white socks with sports uniform and earrings should be plain studs, preferably gold/silver/navy- no dangle/drop earrings or variety of colours. 

Code Red Day - Now Catastrophic

Catastrophic Fire Rating Days
In September 2022, Australia introduced a new fire danger forecasting system, the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS). A nationally consistent system will more accurately predict fire danger and produce clear, simple messages for communities. Victoria has been using a 6‐tier system for fire danger ratings, from ‘Low’ or ‘Moderate’ to ‘Code Red’. The AFDRS will replace the
Victorian system this year and uses 4 tiers of fire danger, from ‘Moderate’ to ‘Catastrophic’
In response to the updated state Victorian Fire Risk register, St Mary’s is rated CAT 4. This means that our school must close on days forecast as ‘Catastrophic’, by the Bureau of Meteorology within our designated fire district. The decision to close will be confirmed by the Emergency Management Commissioner no later than 1.00 pm the day prior to the closure. Once we have received confirmation of the closure we will contact you through SMS, our Facebook page and email before the end of the school day to confirm this. 

Child Safe Standards - in child friendly language

Please have a look at the Child Safe standards designed by our school leaders at the end of 2022.  On Feb 20th, our 2023 School Captains will travel with Ms Holland to Horsham to St Michael's and John's Primary school to meet with other students of the Diocese to revisit the standards and futehr develop the child language version for St Mary's students.

Our 2023 School Captains

School Fees and CSEF

Thank you to all the families who have paid their student levy. If you are a current Health Care Card holder would you please make sure you come into the office and complete a Camps and Excursions Form along with a Family Fee Assistance Form to be able to have your fees reduced. Fee statements will be emailed to you at the end of next week. If you have any concerns regarding fees please make the time to contact the Principal.

Help! My kid won’t read chapter books. What do I do?

This article is from PETAA - Primary English Teachers Association of Australia. This article has been republished from The Conversation

Book Club

The first BookClub Issue has been sent home with your child. The due date for Issue 1 is Thursday 16th February.  Book Club has 2 issues per term.